1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to distribution of live market fish for retail sale, and in particular to apparatus for confining, displaying and dispensing live market fish from an aquarium in a retail environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Retail marketing of live market or table fish requires relatively spacious aquariums for storing, displaying and maintaining viability of an adequate fish inventory at the point of retail sale. For example, aquariums containing freshwater Australian "lobsters" are a common sight at large grocery chain stores. Such aquariums are typically divided into two or more compartments by one or more vertically oriented, plastic barricades which confine the lobsters yet minimally disrupt aeration and water circulation in the tank. Such vertical divisions within an aquarium presumptively allow the proprietor, the wholesale distributor and customers a means for differentiating between the respective groups of confined "lobsters" based upon shelf life or other such factors.
The primary disadvantages of such existing retail display aquariums relate to unavailability of tank capacity (space) to accept new fish inventory because of occupancy by older shelf life inventory, a reluctance to mix different species of fish together because of incompatibilities, and difficulty in effecting fish capture particularly as fish are removed from the tank or section thereof.
Other disadvantages relate to the inability of a proprietor to see into the aquarium via a disturbed water surface to effect capture of a particularly mobile piscene delight selected by a discerning customer, not to mention the reluctance of the proprietor to get wet.
In fact, the ability of table fish such as trout to elude capture even in modestly size aquarium tanks has discouraged both promotion and development of an extensive retail market for live trout in the United States despite the existence of a relatively large trout aquaculture industry.